"The State of Israel ... will ensure complete equality of social and political
rights of all its inhabitants irrespective of religion ... it will guarantee freedom
of religion and conscience." - May 1948)

Uri Regev

Latest stories by Uri Regev

In the last couple days, a new chapter was added to the never ending saga of Israeli religious leaders who view the law as merely a suggestion. Whether for personal benefit or political opportunism, they do not hesitate to deviate from law and common norms.

Many are following the twists and turns of the Kotel controversy with great interest and often anxiety. While grateful to the Jewish Week for featuring his take on the current state of the controversy, Rabbi Uri Regev feels that further contextualization and explanation is needed beyond the quotes that were reported.

Next week the Knesset Special Committee on the Nation-State Bill (formally, 'Basic Law: Israel - The Nation-State of the Jewish People') will be deliberating on the revised draft bill, which was initiated by fourteen MKs from the Likud, Jewish Home, Yisrael Beiteinu, and Kulanu parties.

Next week, Hiddush's annual Israel Religion & State Index will be published, and it will become clear just how much the gap between the public's will and the policies of Israel's elected official's has increased.

We turn back to addressing one of the key manifestations of the unholy link between religion and the economy. This time, it follows on the publication of a review by the Ministry of Finance's Chief Economist department, according to which increasing participation in the workforce among ultra-Orthodox Jews and Arabs will reduce the poverty level in Israel by 21%.

This week Shas leader and Interior Minister Rabbi Aryeh Deri turned to Israel's Attorney General, demanding that the mandatory guidelines regarding the exclusion of women in the public sphere be suspended and reconsidered.

If you weren't on Mars this week, there is high likelihood that you are aware of the fierce storms engulfing Israel and world Jewry under the blazing summer sun. Every self-respecting Jewish organization issued a statement, and the language ranged from dismay to deplore, although most were lacking when it came to taking action.

Israel's religion and state conflict is viewed as a key component of shaping Israel's path. Recent days have provided us with a good cross section of the scope, depth, motivations, impact, and potential consequences of this ongoing saga.